We're saying farewell to the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (aka SOFIA) this month. The mission, which was partially based in Christchurch, wraps up after a decade of observing comets, stars, planets, and the moon. In July 2017, Alison Ballance boarded the Boeing 747 with a flying telescope for one of its research flights.

Last month, the SOFIA telescope left Ōtautahi Christchurch for the final time, heading for retirement in California. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) isn't your usual telescope: it's installed on a Boeing 747 jet plane with a hole cut in its side.

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Since 2013, the SOFIA telescope took off from Christchurch to cruise the clear southern skies and capture observations of comets, stars, and planetary atmospheres. Data collected by SOFIA contributed to the October 2020 finding of water on the surface of the moon.

As a send-off for SOFIA, which officially wraps up its mission on 30 September, we're replaying an episode from September 2017. Alison Ballance reports from aboard one of SOFIA's research flights.

See Alison's original story from September 2017

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details